The Witching Well

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Scarfed from Barb.

Does anyone besides me think that denying the fact that quite a few animal species engage in homosexual behavior is the theological equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and saying “La, la, la, I can’t hear you”? Or that it’s completely and totally laughable to call an exhibition on the sexual behavior of nonhuman species “pornography”?

It’s happening in Norway.

For those who might be interested, BBC7 radio is running some of Big Finish’s Doctor Who audio plays, Sundays at 6pm. Which would do those of us who are not in the UK absolutely no good, except that they have a lovely archive on their website where you can listen to anything they’ve broadcast in the last week. I’ve become addicted to my Saturday morning dose of Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor, quite honestly. He has such a marvelous voice. I’ve also become extremely fond of India Fisher’s Charley Pollard. But, then, who doesn’t love feisty Edwardian adventuresses?

You’ll find the audio files here (scroll down to 18:00). Part 4 of Sword of Orion is there just now, but by Monday it’ll be the first episode of The Stones of Venice.

Robert Parry sums it up pretty well, I think. The time when basic Constitutional rights were considered sacrosanct are over. The new age of Presidential dictatorship has begun. Or would George prefer the title of “king” instead?

Link via rabidsamfan.

A friend just sent me this link, and it’s too good not to share.

Ready? (You might want to put down that drink first.)

Evil Dead: The Musical

Yes, boys and girls, Ash sings.

And if you’re tempted to go see it (the gods know I’d love to), please note that the first 2 rows of the orchestra are being sold at a reduced rate, because they’re in the “splatter zone.”

Scarfed from PZB.

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be?
At this hour (6:30am) any phone call is bad news.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Always.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Listener, usually. Unless I’m with very close friends or have been drinking.

4. Do you take compliments well?
No. I blush and get all inarticulate.

5. Are you an active person?
Mentally. Not so much physically.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
Depends on where I am, what time of year, and for how long. I did earn my Girl Scout firebuilder merit badge, and I can recognize quite a few edible berries in New England.

7. Do you like to ride horses?
Did it once, when I was about 12. It was fun, once I got used to the scary unbalanced feeling and learned to trust that my horse wasn’t trying to dislodge me every time she went into a trot. Would love to do it again one day, and learn to do it properly.

8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Sleep-away camp? Just once, for 2 weeks. I spent the first week homesick and the second week dreading having to go home.

9. What was your favorite game as a kid?
Make-believe. I had a whole army of imaginary friends, most of them talking animals.

10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you get involved with him/her?
Not unless it was Sean Bean, Johnny Depp, or Alexander Siddig. Actually, I’m pretty sure Sid is single.

11. Are you judgmental?
My husband says that I’m always looking for reasons to excuse people’s behavior, but there are some issues I get very judgmental over.

12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
I don’t think I ever dated anyone whose beliefs matched mine. Andy’s certainly don’t.

13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
I always preferred being pursued. It took the uncertainty of does-he-like-me away. All in past tense, of course.

14. Can you speak another language?
Ein bißchen Deutsch. I’ve studied Esperanto, too, but not enough to speak it without a dictionary handy. Same with Latin and Sindarin, and my two conlangs.

15. If you had to choose, would you rather be deaf or blind?
Deaf. I love music, but I’d die without the written word. (Yes, I know there are books on tape and such, but it’s not the same.)

16. What’s your favorite food?
That depends on my mood. Right now I’m craving peanut butter on honey-oatmeal toast.

17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
No.

18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
Assuming I’m not needed to evacuate my husband, mother, and pets, then I go for the genealogy files and the laptop that has my novel manuscript in it.

19. How often do you read books?
Constantly. I’m currently in the middle of four (I think).

20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?
The past, probably. I’m a history junkie and a genealogist, after all. I probably spend more time thinking about stuff that doesn’t/hasn’t/won’t ever exist, though.

21. What is your favorite children’s book?
The Hobbit.

22. What color are your eyes?
Bluish-grey.

23. How tall are you?
5′10″

24. Where is your dream house located?
Near both the woods and the water, but reasonable driving distance from at least one decent sized town.

25. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Andy.

26. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
Probably.

27. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
I don’t think I ever have been.

28. What are your keys on your key chain for?
I have four keychains:
(1) My apartment, my mother’s apartment, the Honda, and the broken stub of one of my Bug keys. Yes, I know I should take that last one off.
(2) The intact Bug key.
(3) The spare Bug key.
(4) The front door of my office building, the front door to my floor in the office building, the WP center, the print room, my office, my filing cabinet, and the office of the supervisor down the hall.

29. What’s your favorite color?
Black.

30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?
To the coffee maker.

31. Where is your current pain at?
No pain today. A little sinus pressure that shows promise, though.

32. Do you like mustard?
Occasionally.

33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
They’re pretty evenly matched.

34. Do you look like your mom or dad?
Dad.

35. How long does it take you in the shower?
Usually about 15 minutes from closing the bathroom door to opening it again.

36. Can you do splits?
No, but I used to be able to do cartwheels and handstands.

37. What movie do you want to see right now?
I’m looking forward to The Prestige.

38. Do you put lotion on your dog or cats?
Why?

39. What did you do for New Year’s?
This past year? Damned if I can remember. Probably watched the ball drop on TV.

40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Haven’t seen it. Don’t intend to.

41. What was the cause of your last accident?
Stepping into the shoulder strap of my backpack rather than over it.

42. Do you own a camera phone?
No.

43. What are you drinking?
Coffee.

44. Was your mom a cheerleader?
No.

45. What’s the last letter of your middle name?
E.

46. Who did you vote for on American Idol?
Bwaa haa ha!!!

47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
6 during the week. 7-9 on weekends.

48. Do you like care bears?
No.

49. What do you buy at the movies?
Tickets. Often popcorn, too.

50. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes. Doesn’t mean I’m any good at it.

51. Do you wear your seatbelt?
Always.

52. What do you wear to sleep?
In summer, an oversize t-shirt. In winter, flannel pajamas.

53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
Historically? The Salem Witch Trials. Nathaniel Hawthorn’s literary career. We were the capital of Masachusetts when Boston was occupied by the British during the Revolution, too.
Currently? Halloween for an entire month every year.

54. How many meals do you eat a day?
The usual three.

55. Is your tongue pierced?
No. That fad didn’t start until I was too old to fall for it.

56. Do you always read MySpace bulletins?
No. I do have an account, but I hardly ever use it.

57. Do you have pets?
A dog and a cat.

58. Do you like funny or serious people better?
Funny.

59. Ever been to LA?
Los Angeles? Once. It’s like an alien planet.
Louisiana? No.

60. Did you eat a cookie today?
I haven’t eaten anything yet today. Breakfast will be soon, though.

61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
I’ve been known to swear in French, German, and Finnish, but not regularly. Once I invent my conlangs’ profanities, I may use them occasionally.

62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
My laptop is 5 years old. I save my disk space for my writing and buy my music on CD.

63. Do you hate chocolate?
No.

64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
Mom and I don’t agree about everything, but it’s probably been 20 years since we regularly fought about anything. Y’know, since I grew up and got a life of my own.

65. Is your cell usually on vibrate or ring?
Ring. It plays the theme from The Avengers.

66. Are you a gullible person?
About some things. Not about others.

67. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
I hope not. My husband wouldn’t like it.

68. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what would it be?
Writer.

69. Are you easy to get along with?
I think so.

70. What is your favorite time of day?
The quiet time in the morning before even the dog is up.

Andy’s parents were up over this past weekend, and we took a nice drive north on Sunday, to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Although it was not our primary reason for the trip, we are, of course, very aware that our dear friend and former roommate, Eric Burns, lives there, so we were hoping we’d connect with him. Alas, it was not to be, as he was not only not at home, but not in the state at the time. But it was a lovely day, and we saw some beautiful scenery, visited an interesting museum, and bought cheese in a bookshop. Also, some pepper jelly. It’s a nice little bookshop, and they sell some very nice cheese there.

Sometimes the writing thing scares me. Sometimes things come out of my fingertips that make me wonder if I am who I really think I am. There are a couple of scenes that I’ve written for Legacies that have done that to me. Writing them was wrenching, because I really do adore the POV character who has to suffer through them. And suffer is most definitely the key word in that sentence. It scares me that my brain can actually create such stuff, that there might be that much darkness inside me. Putting that darkness into a character — giving him a name and a history and a reason for his twistedness — takes the edge off a bit. But only a bit, because I’m always acutely aware that, ultimately, I made him like that. And because, well, despite the fact that he’s the nastiest thing ever to crawl out of my head, I genuinely like him. (Or maybe I like him because he’s so nasty?)

The reason this is on my mind just now is because I’m thinking about writing a few scenes from the creepy antagonist’s POV. They may be necessary to tie the plot together in the right places. And I can’t decide if I’m excited at the idea of getting deeper into his head, or squicked out by it.

From the NYT: Software Being Developed to Monitor Opinions of U.S.

A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas.

Yes, I know it’s illegal to do the same thing in the States, but since when has illegality ever stopped the Bush aministration from doing something? You know, like wiretapping without a warrant or detaining people without charge? (Oh, sorry, that second one is legal now, isn’t it?) And if they can monitor newspaper articles, how long before they’re monitoring blog entries?